Chapter Seven
The Molemaster of Disguises
That morning, Ellom got up, and rubbed his head. "Oi'm be Ellom, iffens you'm didden hear oi."
"We heard you, Ellom. How'd you get here?" Terinn said.
"Oi, err, oi left moi dwellin' in sea'ch fo' avenditure. Oi stumbled int' thies swumps, an' oi've just'n fallin' asleep, an' you foive came 'long an' woken oi up."
"Oh, err, sorry 'bout that," Catari said. "Now, would you like to hear where we've come from?"
"Oi'd loike to, iffens you don' moind. Oi herd you'm was-a from the Red'all H'abbey uppen the path," Ellom responded.
"Aye, that's right, mate. An' some stinkin' vermin stole our tapestry an' the Warrior's sword!" Crekk burst out. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at those vermin who have nothin' better to do than to rob some harmless woodlanders!"
"Bet they just wanna get into Redwall Abbey, y'know, conquer it? Like Cluny did," Stamm said.
Ellom looked a bit confused during this. "Who'm be Cluny?" he asked.
"Oh, Cluny the Scourge was a rat that tried to take over Redwall some amount of seasons ago," Catari explained.
Reed put his arm around Ellom's shoulder. "Don' worry, mate, I've no idea wot they're talkin' about either," he laughed.
"An' so whoi did you'm asker me t'come with you'm?" Ellom asked.
"Well, to put it simply, we were told you would come with us," Crekk said.
"Aye, Martin the Warrior did," Terinn added.
Ellom thought on this for a moment. "O'right, oi'm comin' with you, so doan't troi an' make me go 'way!"
"Don't worry, matey, we won't!" Reed finished.
Catari sprang up and said, "High time t'leave, don't you think?" he said, eager to move on.
"Whoi? We'm's got some plannin' in o'r'm's pauws. Firss off, we'm got to get inta the vurmint's camp. How'm we gonna do'm that?" Ellom said, smiling mischieviously.
Catari halted. "Good idea, Ellom. Let's sit an' think here."
"Oi'm got a plan awlrady, no need t'gut sit'n'plan," Ellom said. "Oi ran 'way coas oi wanted avinditure, roight? Roight. Oi figgered oi be'm good at it coas oi'm good at disgoises!"
"Okay, matey-o, let's see some o'your 'disgoises'!" Stamm said.
Ellom slung off one of his packs and shuffled around. They could see him digging through his pack and pulling out several items. At one point, he attached something long and bare to his short tail. After rubbing in some gray ashes and dirt into his dark brown fur, Ellom turned around.
He was no longer Ellom, but some old mouse. "Why, hello, young 'uns!" he said, with no hint of the rustic mole speech. Terinn and Reed gaped, amid Crekk, Stamm, Catari's gasps of wonder and amazement.
"How about taller beasts, Ellom, mate?" Stamm said.
"Whoi, oi can do them too, just need sum mo'e soupploies," he answered, taking off his disguise. "Oi'm going t'gut us'ns into that vurmint camp, you'm just wait!" he said.
"Okay, matey, I will!" Reed said.
"Well, actually, we probably don't want all of us going into the camp. Just Reed and one of the otters, maybe. We need me an' Terinn to help get them away, and the other two to insure their escape," Catari said. "Well, actually, it had better be Reed and Ellom going into the vermin camp. Can either of you speak the vermin slang?"
"Aye, matey, yew jest leave that t'me, skirrel!" Ellom snarled.
"'ey, messmate, stop an' let m'through, yew dirty deckswabber!" Reed growled. Catari and Stamm laughed.
"Okay, Ellom. As soon as you're ready, disguise yourself and Reed, and can you camouflauge? If you can, we'll want some of that," Catari planned out.
"Oi c'n do cam'aflage," he confirmed, then set about disguised Reed and himself.
After a while, Reed and Ellom came back from their small alcove. They were both somehow taller. Reed was a black and gray rat, and Ellom was a brown and white weasel. Reed mussed up his rapier, and Ellom produced a rusty scimitar.
"Think we're ready t'go, rat?"
"Aye, messmate, I'm ready ter go anytime yer not ready!" Reed snarled.
"Fine, now yer got ter think o' some names," Ellom growled.
Reed adopted a singsong maid's voice. "Fine with me, my darling. I'll be Daisyflower and you'll be Sweetstream!" Stamm and Crekk roared with laughter. Catari hid a smile, and Terinn just grinned and shook her head.
Behind the mud and grime that colored his coat, Ellom blushed. "Naw, yew'll be Pariken an' I'll be Stabpaw."
"Righ', Stabpaw. I say, better git goin', dozychops!" Reed rasped.
Ellom slunk over to the four others. Pulling out some clover, he crushed them together in his paws, creating a thick, green, gooey liquid. Producing a small bowl and spoon, he tossed the liquid in the bowl and poured in some dirt and mud. When it was mixed together, Ellom invited Catari to lather it on.
"Ick!" he proclaimed at the sight of the mixture. "I have to put that on?"
"Ooo, is the big strong Magnabella warrior afraid of some clover?" Terinn said sarcastically. She stuck her paw in and pulled out a glob of the green stuff. She rubbed it on, and her fur became a dark green with brown spots. It dried quickly.
Soon all four beasts, Catari, Terinn, Stamm, and Crekk, were green and brown things that slid in and out of view as they were walking along. Stamm asked, "Oi, mates. Know how to duck an' weave?" she smiled.
Crekk groaned and said sideways to Catari, "Our dad, Skipper Sirenn taught 'er how an' she's always been boastin' about it."
Catari laughed. "Well, it's a good idea, anyhow." Soon, Stamm had demonstrated to the two squirrels how to duck and weave, while Crekk was walking away from her, muttering something about crazy sisters.
The Molemaster of Disguises
That morning, Ellom got up, and rubbed his head. "Oi'm be Ellom, iffens you'm didden hear oi."
"We heard you, Ellom. How'd you get here?" Terinn said.
"Oi, err, oi left moi dwellin' in sea'ch fo' avenditure. Oi stumbled int' thies swumps, an' oi've just'n fallin' asleep, an' you foive came 'long an' woken oi up."
"Oh, err, sorry 'bout that," Catari said. "Now, would you like to hear where we've come from?"
"Oi'd loike to, iffens you don' moind. Oi herd you'm was-a from the Red'all H'abbey uppen the path," Ellom responded.
"Aye, that's right, mate. An' some stinkin' vermin stole our tapestry an' the Warrior's sword!" Crekk burst out. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at those vermin who have nothin' better to do than to rob some harmless woodlanders!"
"Bet they just wanna get into Redwall Abbey, y'know, conquer it? Like Cluny did," Stamm said.
Ellom looked a bit confused during this. "Who'm be Cluny?" he asked.
"Oh, Cluny the Scourge was a rat that tried to take over Redwall some amount of seasons ago," Catari explained.
Reed put his arm around Ellom's shoulder. "Don' worry, mate, I've no idea wot they're talkin' about either," he laughed.
"An' so whoi did you'm asker me t'come with you'm?" Ellom asked.
"Well, to put it simply, we were told you would come with us," Crekk said.
"Aye, Martin the Warrior did," Terinn added.
Ellom thought on this for a moment. "O'right, oi'm comin' with you, so doan't troi an' make me go 'way!"
"Don't worry, matey, we won't!" Reed finished.
Catari sprang up and said, "High time t'leave, don't you think?" he said, eager to move on.
"Whoi? We'm's got some plannin' in o'r'm's pauws. Firss off, we'm got to get inta the vurmint's camp. How'm we gonna do'm that?" Ellom said, smiling mischieviously.
Catari halted. "Good idea, Ellom. Let's sit an' think here."
"Oi'm got a plan awlrady, no need t'gut sit'n'plan," Ellom said. "Oi ran 'way coas oi wanted avinditure, roight? Roight. Oi figgered oi be'm good at it coas oi'm good at disgoises!"
"Okay, matey-o, let's see some o'your 'disgoises'!" Stamm said.
Ellom slung off one of his packs and shuffled around. They could see him digging through his pack and pulling out several items. At one point, he attached something long and bare to his short tail. After rubbing in some gray ashes and dirt into his dark brown fur, Ellom turned around.
He was no longer Ellom, but some old mouse. "Why, hello, young 'uns!" he said, with no hint of the rustic mole speech. Terinn and Reed gaped, amid Crekk, Stamm, Catari's gasps of wonder and amazement.
"How about taller beasts, Ellom, mate?" Stamm said.
"Whoi, oi can do them too, just need sum mo'e soupploies," he answered, taking off his disguise. "Oi'm going t'gut us'ns into that vurmint camp, you'm just wait!" he said.
"Okay, matey, I will!" Reed said.
"Well, actually, we probably don't want all of us going into the camp. Just Reed and one of the otters, maybe. We need me an' Terinn to help get them away, and the other two to insure their escape," Catari said. "Well, actually, it had better be Reed and Ellom going into the vermin camp. Can either of you speak the vermin slang?"
"Aye, matey, yew jest leave that t'me, skirrel!" Ellom snarled.
"'ey, messmate, stop an' let m'through, yew dirty deckswabber!" Reed growled. Catari and Stamm laughed.
"Okay, Ellom. As soon as you're ready, disguise yourself and Reed, and can you camouflauge? If you can, we'll want some of that," Catari planned out.
"Oi c'n do cam'aflage," he confirmed, then set about disguised Reed and himself.
After a while, Reed and Ellom came back from their small alcove. They were both somehow taller. Reed was a black and gray rat, and Ellom was a brown and white weasel. Reed mussed up his rapier, and Ellom produced a rusty scimitar.
"Think we're ready t'go, rat?"
"Aye, messmate, I'm ready ter go anytime yer not ready!" Reed snarled.
"Fine, now yer got ter think o' some names," Ellom growled.
Reed adopted a singsong maid's voice. "Fine with me, my darling. I'll be Daisyflower and you'll be Sweetstream!" Stamm and Crekk roared with laughter. Catari hid a smile, and Terinn just grinned and shook her head.
Behind the mud and grime that colored his coat, Ellom blushed. "Naw, yew'll be Pariken an' I'll be Stabpaw."
"Righ', Stabpaw. I say, better git goin', dozychops!" Reed rasped.
Ellom slunk over to the four others. Pulling out some clover, he crushed them together in his paws, creating a thick, green, gooey liquid. Producing a small bowl and spoon, he tossed the liquid in the bowl and poured in some dirt and mud. When it was mixed together, Ellom invited Catari to lather it on.
"Ick!" he proclaimed at the sight of the mixture. "I have to put that on?"
"Ooo, is the big strong Magnabella warrior afraid of some clover?" Terinn said sarcastically. She stuck her paw in and pulled out a glob of the green stuff. She rubbed it on, and her fur became a dark green with brown spots. It dried quickly.
Soon all four beasts, Catari, Terinn, Stamm, and Crekk, were green and brown things that slid in and out of view as they were walking along. Stamm asked, "Oi, mates. Know how to duck an' weave?" she smiled.
Crekk groaned and said sideways to Catari, "Our dad, Skipper Sirenn taught 'er how an' she's always been boastin' about it."
Catari laughed. "Well, it's a good idea, anyhow." Soon, Stamm had demonstrated to the two squirrels how to duck and weave, while Crekk was walking away from her, muttering something about crazy sisters.
